The Skin I Live In
Pedro Almodóvar returns with a gender-bending Telenovela-type thriller.
Pedro Almodóvar (Spain, Special Presentations)
SCREENINGS:
Sunday, September 11, 10 p.m.
Princess Of Wales Theatre (284 King Street West)
Saturday, September 17, 9:30 a.m.
TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 (350 King Street West)
The Skin I Live In can be described as Face/Off meets The Crying Game. Depending on whether you think this is gratuitous or absolutely fantastic then Pedro Almodóvar’s latest feature may or may not be for you.
Opening with bold credits over the Spanish countryside (recalling thrillers from the 1950s), The Skin I Live In quickly establishes its main concern: the female form. With shots of Vera (Elena Anaya) in various stagnant yoga poses, The Skin I Love In seems to be classic voyeur cinema, ogling women rather than exploring their psyches. But, being that this is Almodóvar, this assumption is quickly turned on its head.
In a stroke of genius casting, Antonio Banderas as Dr. Robert Ledgard (a world renowned plastic surgeon) perfectly plays (and deconstructs) notions of the Alpha Male and brings something new to the male rape revenge fantasy. Over the top and unfolding like a Telenovela, The Skin I Live In explores rather than exploits questions and constructions of gender, sex, and lust.